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THey that were besiege with in the strong towne of Nycopo∣lye / defended themselfe right va¦lyantly / how be it they were sore abasshed that they herde no tydī¦ges for the great turke. The Emperour of Constantyne the noble had written vnto thē
that he was in the parties of Alexandre / and was nat as than passed ye brase saynt George. So the crysten men helde their syege styll be∣fore Nycopoly. They had vytayles plentye and good chepe / that came out of Hungery / and other marches nere adioynynge. And on a day the lorde Coucy and other frenche men tooke pleasure to ryde forthe at aduenture to go se the countrey further in. So they depar∣ted fro the siege about the nombre of fyue hun¦dred speares and as many crosbowes and ar∣chers all horsemen. The lorde Coucy was ca∣pytayne of that iourney and the lorde Ray∣nolde of Roye / and the lorde of saynt Pye in his company / & the Chateleyne of Beauoyre / the lorde of Mount Caurell / and the Bourge of Mountquell with dyuers other / and they had guydes with thē suche as knewe the coun¦trey / and they had certayne fore ryders well mounted to discouer the coūtrey before them. The same weke there was an armye of the turkes assembled togyther to the nombre of twenty thousande men / for they were enfour∣med howe the chrysten men were abrode dy∣stroyenge their countrey / in resystence therof / they assembled togyder and came to a strayte whiche the crysten men must passe / and they wolde entre in to the playne of Turkey / and they coude nat well entre no waye. And there the turkes taryed a two dayes and coude here no tydynges of the crysten menne / and so the thyrde daye they thought to haue retourned. Than the crysten mennes foreryders came to Brechault / nere where the turkes were / and whan the turkes saw them aproche they stode styll close togyther / to se the dealynge of the crysten men / and made no token nor sygne to skrymysshe with them. These crysten men a∣proched nere to the turkes / and sawe well they were a great nombre / and yet they coulde nat aduyse them all. And whan they had well a∣uewed them they reculed backe / and came to the lorde Coucy / and shewed hym what they had sene / of whiche newes ye crysten men were ryght ioyfull / and the lorde of Coucy said. It is mete that we go and se theym more nerer / sythe we become so farre forwarde / we shall nat departe without fyghtynge with them / if we shulde it shall be to our blame and great re¦buke That is true quod all the other knygh∣tes that herde hym. Than euery man prepa∣red hym selfe and his horse and rode towarde the place where the turkes were. and bytwene them and the turkes there was a lytell wode. whan the crysten men came to the wode syde / the lorde of Coucy said to the lorde Raynolde of Roy / and to the lorde of saynt Pye. Syrs / myne aduyse is / to the entent to drawe the tur¦kes out of their strēgth) that ye two shall take two hundred of our speares / and I with the rest wyll abyde here in this wode / and ryde ye so nere them that ye may cause them to come out / and than retourne you / and suffre them to chase you tyll ye be paste vs in this wode / and than sodaynly tourne vpon them / and we shall close theym in behynde / and so we shall haue them at our wyll. To this aduyse all the knightes enclyned. than two hundred of them that were best horsed rode forthe / and the rest who were an eyght hundred / enbusshed them selfe couertly in the wode / and there taryed. The other rode forthe / and came to the place where the turkes were. Whan they sawe the crysten men come / they were ryght ioyouse / wenynge there had been no mo / and so came out of their holdes in to the playne feldes. and whan the crysten men sawe tyme they turned and fled / and made the turkes to chase them. They were so well horsed yt the turkes coulde nat ouertake them / and they chased so longe that they passed the wode where as the enbus∣shement was. Whan the turkes were passed / the crysten men issued out / and cryed our lady be with the lorde of Coucy / and so dasshed in behynde them / and made great occision. The turkes helde them close togyther / whan they sawe how they were beset before and behynde and dyd put them selfe to defence as well as they myght / but they kept none ordre / for they were nat ware of the reregarde. And whan they sawe them selfe so sodaynly sette on they were abasshed. The Frenche men dyd quyte them selfe lyke valyaunte men of armes / and slewe the turkes at their pleasure in their fly∣enge. There were many slayne / the chrysten men toke none to mercy / happy were they that coulde escape and retourne fro thens as they came. And than the cristen men that had done that dede retourned to their hoost before Ny∣copoly. Than tydynges ran ouer all the hoost howe the lorde of Coucy by his wysdome and valyauntnesse had dyscomfyted mo than .xv. thousande turkes. Many spake well therof / but the erle of Ewe praysed nothing his dede /
sayenge howe it was doone by pride / and howe that he had put the crysten men (and spe¦cyally his bande) in great aduenture and pa∣rell / sayenge that with an handefull of men he fought folysshely with the route of twenty thousande turkes / he shulde rather (seynge he was in wyl to do dedes of armes / and that the turkes were on the felde) haue gyuen know∣lege before he assayled his enemyes to his hed capitayne the lorde Iohan of Burgoyne / that he myght haue had the renome and honour of that enterprise. Besemynge the erle of Ewe spake those wordes by enuy / that he had to the lorde of Coucy / for all that voyage he had no loue to him / bycause he sawe howe the lorde of Coucy had the loue & fauour of all his compa¦ny and of other straūgers / whiche he deserued ryght well to haue / for he was ryght nere of the frenche Kynges blode / and bare in his ar∣mes floure de lyces / and also he was cōstable of Fraunce. Thus there engendred a great hate and yuell wyll couertly / bytwene the erle of Ewe and the lorde Coucy / whiche hatred at last apered clerely / wherby great myschefe fell the same seasone vpon the crysten men / as ye shall here after. ¶Nowe we we shall leaue to speke any more at this tyme of this mater and retourne to speke of the kynges of Englande and of Fraunce. ∴ ∴